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Ever seen someone doing something at the gym which is the exact opposite of how you were taught to do it? Chances are one of you is doing it wrong.
There are a lot of myths floating around surrounding exercise, diet, and other health and fitness trends. To help you separate fitness facts from fiction, our onsite personal fitness trainers in Toronto have debunked five key misconceptions. The result will be you losing weight, getting fit, and living an overall healthier life.
Whether you want to lose a few pounds, become more toned, or simply boost your mood, don’t fall for these myths that will do more harm than good.
There may be times when you don’t feel any particular discomfort after exercising, but this doesn’t mean your workout was ineffective. Over time, our bodies become used to activities we perform regularly, including workouts. This results in micro-traumas (the tiny tears in muscles after they undergo unusual tension which results in some pain but builds muscle) being reduced, while your muscles become stronger. So it’s a good idea to switch things up from time to time.
If you do experience unusual discomfort or pain after performing strenuous activity, you’re likely doing something wrong and may have sustained an injury. It’s never a good idea to work out if the pain keeps growing. Instead, take a break and assess your condition to understand what needs to be done.
Many of us struggle to get rid of belly fat as it’s difficult to lose. Unlike in the rest of the body, belly fat is stored behind the abdominal wall in the spaces between our internal organs. However, many people are under the impression that by doing different ab exercises every day, they will be able to get rid of fat in this region in no time.
This is far from the truth, as spot reduction (i.e. focusing on one area) doesn’t actually work. Your best bet is to burn calories through consistent and frequent low and high-impact cardiovascular exercises and weightlifting.
Additionally, you must also focus on maintaining a healthy diet. That means one that ensures your body receives the nutrients it requires while maintaining a calorie deficit to get rid of fat from all over your body, including the belly. With certain exercises, in time you will be able to tone the muscles which will become prominent once the excess fat is gone.
This is another myth as no amount of exercising will help if you don’t maintain a healthy diet. Most personal trainers tell their clients that 80% of how they look comes down to food, as to maintain a calorie deficit, you must focus on what you eat. It’s a calorie game, and most of us misjudge how much food we should be consuming and the number of calories we may be burning during an exercise session.
If you find it difficult to do the math on your own, get in touch with our onsite personal fitness trainers in Toronto who can do it for you.
Many people who want to lose weight shy away from lifting weights. They think it will make it harder for them to achieve the number on the scale they are working towards.
However, if you want to lose weight and keep it off, this is the direction in which you should be heading. A session involving targeted weights that includes low weights and a higher number of reps will help tone muscles and burn calories faster and better than any cardio workout.
What matters is how many calories you are burning even after you have completed your session. Plus, having a higher muscle mass will increase your body’s metabolic rate, meaning you will end up burning more calories throughout the day. It will take a long time for your muscles to start expanding and you will see results much faster than you would by simply focusing on cardio.
In truth, any time is a good time to work out, so long as you do it consistently. Ideally, physical fitness should be a daily habit. So, if you prefer to go to the gym or exercise at home in the afternoon or evening, you’ll be good to go in terms of attaining your fitness goals. Or, if you prefer going for a run first thing in the morning, that works too.
We hope you have been able to find some useful information in the myths we have debunked and that it helps you on your fitness journey. Now you will be better equipped to differentiate between what’s right and what isn’t in terms of exercise.